Kangra Brijeshwari Temple -Famous Shaktipeeth In Himachal Wekr

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Kangra Brijeshwari Temple is a world-famous temple known as Shakti Peeth, which is located in the city of Kangra Nagar. Hindu mythology says that after Lord Shiva carried the burning body of his beloved wife on his shoulder, Goddess Sati set herself on fire.

To stop the angry and depressed Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu divided the body of Goddess Sati into 51 parts, each part falling on different parts of the world to form a Shaktipeeth. The burning goddess Sati’s left breast fell on the ground where the breathtaking Kangra Brijeshwari Temple is today, making it one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in India. Based on this it becomes one of the top temples in Himachal Pradesh.

Location of Kangra Brijeshwari Temple

Kangra Brijeshwari Temple is located about 125 KM from Una Nagar in Himachal Pradesh and about 30 km from Jwalaji. This Shaktipeeth is established in Kangra Nagar. Bus facilities are available from all the places to reach Devi place.

Mythological Story of Kangra Brijeshwari Temple

There is a huge temple building, and the golden Kalash is adding to its beauty. Beautiful sculptures of Mahavir, Bhairon, Shiva, Dhyanu Bhagat, and Devi are made in this temple. This is the place of Sri Taradevi. It is said that the breast of Sati fell at this place. According to historical facts, the old name of Kangra was Susharmapur, named after King Susharma. Reference to this is found in the Mahabharata. It is also called Jalandhar Peeth because Jalandhar is spread over an area of 12 yojanas from the Shivalik hills. 64 pilgrimages and many temples are established in this circumambulation itself. History shows that all these temples were full of gold, silver, and wealth.

History of Kangra Brijeshwari Temple

The history of Shaktipeeth Brijeshwar Devi is very rich and prosperous. This temple always has been full of wealth and prosperity.

In 1009, Mahmud Ghaznavi looted diamonds and jewels and gold, and silver in the temple. In the year 1337, Muhammad Tughlaq and between 1363-86, Ghiyasuddin, the king of Kashmir, looted.

This Shaktipeeth was rebuilt by the Katoch dynasty king Sansar Chandra in the 15th century. In 1540, Khawas Khan, the general of Sher Shah Suri, plundered here, Akbar visited this temple with Todarmal, whose details are recorded in Ain-Akbari.

Year 1611 the European traveler William Finch, and in 1666 the French traveler Thevenet visited this temple. In 1809, Maharaja Ranjit Singh offered a golden umbrella to the temple. The English rulers Kanayam and Lady Irwin made several offerings to the temple. In the present period, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Bajpai, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, and Nitish Kumar, many ministers, governors, judges, MPs, and MLAs have visited here.

Sardar Desa Singh Majithia, the Governor General at the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, built this temple according to the Kangra style and Sikh tradition. Rani Chand Kaur put gold on its dome. On April 4, 1905, the temple was again destroyed by the divine earthquake, and the building of the present temple was rebuilt in 1920.

Kangra Brijeshwari Temple

On reaching Kangra, the grand urns of the temple are visible from afar. Shri Mata Brijeshwari Devi is the total deity (kuldevi) of the whole of Uttar Pradesh, however, devotees from all corners of India come to see the mother. There is a line of long stairs to reach the gate of the huge temple, on which there is a market on both sides. Puja materials and offerings etc. are conveniently available in the market at reasonable prices. The travelers reach the courtyard by entering through the lion gate of the temple. From here the height of the grand temple seems to touch the sky.

Mata Vrajeshwari Devi seen in the form of Pindi. Mata’s makeup, worship, and aarti done here regularly. This place has special glory and tradition. When Shri Brijeshwari Devi won the victory by slaying the demons in Satyuga, all the gods praised the mother in many ways. At that time, it was the festival of Makar Sankranti. Wherever there were wounds on the body of the goddess, the deities together applied ghee. Considering this tradition, even today, 14 quintals of butter on Makar Sankranti, washed one hundred times in cold well water, decorated with dry fruits and many types of fruits, rubbed on Pindi for a week which distributed as Prasad. Skin diseases cured by this butter.

This Shaktipeeth of Mata Brajeshwari is unique and special in itself because not only do Hindu devotees bow their heads here, but the devotees of Muslim and Sikh religions also come to this Dham and offer flowers of their faith. It said that the three domes of the Kangra Brijeshwari Temple symbols of these three religions. The first is a symbol of Hinduism, whose shape like a temple, then the second is a symbol of Muslim society and the third dome is a symbol of the Sikh sect.

It said that the devotee who reaches this court of a mother with true devotion in his mind, none of his wishes remain unfulfilled. Whether it is the desire of the desired life partner or the desire to have a child. Mother fulfills the wishes of every devotee. There is a law of aarti five times in this court of the mother, whose desire to be a witness is in the mind of every devotee.

One must also visit Kripaleshwar Mahadev Temple, Kurukshetra Kund, Baba Virbhadra Temple, Guptganga, Aksharamata, Chakrakund, etc. around the temple.

The area of the temple is about 4 acres. The Yatri Sadan, Sarai run by the temple trust.

The temple has 50 priests from 6 families, 43 employees, 12 home guards, and 18 trust members. The annual budget of the temple is 5 crores. There are about 150 shops selling fruits and flowers, offerings and books around the temple. 1200-1500 on ordinary days, 2 thousand on Sundays, 2 lakh in both Navratri, 1 lakh in Sawan, 1 lakh on Makar Sankranti, and 10-11 lakh devotees visit throughout the year.

How To Reach Kangra Brijeshwari Temple

Air Route: The nearest airport is Gaggal Airport which is 11 km away from Kangra Devi Temple. Domestic flights are available for Gaggal from major cities of India. You can easily hire taxis, and autorickshaws from the airport.

Rail Route: Kangra city has its own railway station but it is a narrow-gauge line. and not directly connected to other railway stations in the country. The nearest Broad-Gauge station is Pathankot which is 87 K from Kangra.

Bus Route: Being an important district, Kangra well connected by road to major cities of North India. You can take direct buses from many cities.

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